Reinforced corner seam for utility bags



April 20, 1948. P. BENENFELD REINFORCED CORNER SEMI FOR UTILITY BAGSFiled Nov. 13, 1945 v lNVENTOR Peter Benenfeld ATTORNEY Patented Apr.20, 1948 REINFORCED CORNER SEAM FOR UTILITY BAGS Peter Benenfeld, NewYork, N. Y.

Application November 13, 1945, Serial No. 628,203

4 Claims. (01. 19054) 1 This invention relates to handbags andparticularly to the type commonly known as utility bags and which arestiffened by a wire along certain edges to prevent the limp material ofthe bag from collapsing,

Thepresent invention is an improvement over the bag shown in my priorPatent No. 2,269,574. In said prior patent, a bowed resilient wire issecured at the jointures or meeting edges of the bag walls by parallellines of stitching which also serve to form a cored welt at the edges.Such construction, while effective, is too expensive for bags of thecheaper variety and also requires the operation of turning the bag rightside out after the stitching is completed, an operation which iscustomary in bags of the type here involved.

This invention therefore contemplates the provision of a bag wherein thestiffening wire is so secured that the bag walls may be stitchedtogether in right side out position at the same time that the wire isinserted into place and covered, the covering for the wire also servingas a covering for the raw edges of the bag parts and asa pocket for thewire while the stitching is exposed to view.

The invention also contemplates the arrangement of the stiffening wireoutwardly beyond the corner edges of the bag, whereby the inside cornersof the bag are made substantially sharp, smooth, continuous andunobstructed and free of protuberances,

The invention further contemplates the provision of a wire-stiffened baghaving outstanding flanges within which the wire is arranged, the bagbeing adapted for rapid and economical manufacture, yet being strong,eflicient and of good appearance, the flanges and the exposed stitchingthereof producing a desirable ornamental effect.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the descriptionwhich follows and from the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of a bag to which my invention has been applied and showing theoutstanding corner flanges.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2of Fig. 1 and shows one form of the outstanding flange.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of another form of the flange.

Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are similar views of other modified forms of theflange.

'Fig. 6 is a fragmentary developed elevational view of one of the lowercorners of the bag show- 2 I ing the bag walls, flange, and the bindingfor the flange in part stitched into place and in part unstitched.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view, looking upwardly at a bottomcorner of the bag, showing how the outstanding flange is bent or foldedflat and secured to the under face of the bottom.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective View partly in section and partlybroken away and taken on the line 88 of Fig.7.

My invention, in its practical embodiment shown by way of example, isapplied to the ba in which is of the usual general shape'having arelatively rigid bottom I l, a limp, flexible front wall 12 of textileor other suitable material, a similar rear wall, and a limp flexiblecurved wall 43 forming the sides and top of the' bag and joined to thefront and rear walls and to the bottom. The usual handles 14 are securedrespectively to the front and rear walls. As is customary, theslide-operated interlocking fastener 15 forms the closure along the toppart 01 the wall l3.

However, instead of securing the various flexible walls of the bagtogether in an inside out position and then turning the bag right sideout, my improved construction permits stitching of the walls togetherinitially in right side out position, so that the turning step oroperation is entirely eliminated, while the raw edges of the walls arenevertheless adequately concealed. As shown for example in Fig. 3, whichillustrates the now preferred form of the invention, the peripheral edgeportions l6 and ll of the respective walls l2 and I3 are brought intoface to face relation and covered with the binding strip It, said stripbeing folded at its outer edge as at I9 and the inner edges of the twoside flaps 21, 28 thus formed being infolded at 20, H to conceal the rawedges of the binding strip. At the same time, the resilient wire 22 isinserted between the outer parts of the edges of the portions I6 and I1,and while the various parts are in the positions described, the twoparallel lines of stitching 23, 24 are made along the contacting marginsof the wall l3 with the front or rear wall of the bag, as the case maybe, so as to form the outstanding flexible corner flange 25 projectingangularly to the faces or planes of the walls l2 and l3. 7

The stitching 23 passes through six thicknesses of material namely, thetwo thicknesses of the .binding strip l8, its infolded portions 20, 2|,and

the outstanding peripheral wall portions l6, l1

to secure them all together and to form the clear, continuous andsubstantially sharp and uninterrupted interior corner 28 on the bag. Theother line of stitching 24 passes through four thicknesses, namely bothflaps 21, 28 of the binding strip and through the peripheral portionsl5, I! close to the wire 22 and thereby urges saidwire outwardly towardthe fold 19. Since the stitching follows the edges of the wall I3 whichis curved, the flange becomes curved and the wire therein is bowed.

In this form of the invention, the wire does not come into contact withthe fold l9 because of the interposition therebetween of the outer edgeportions of the parts l5, l1. However, the wire is tightly confined inthe pocket of the strip, formed between the stitching 24 and the foldand cannot become displaced under stresses such as are put upon the bagwhen the bag is distorted, as when articles are put thereinto or takenout, necessitating spreading of the closure I5. The wire therefore iscapable of yielding adequately in response to such stresses withoutbecoming displaced within the flange or permanently distorted or kinked,and upon release of the stresses, the wire resumes its initial positionand reshapes the flexible walls of the bag to their original and normalpositions by applying tensile force to the bag walls, tending to pullsaid walls outwardly and upwardly.

Preferably, the wire terminates a short distance above the bottom II asat 29 (Figs, 1 and 6) while the flange 25 continues downwardly past thelower end of the wire, thereby permitting the flange to be turned orfolded substantially flat against the lower surface of the bottom aswill be more fully explained hereinafter. Furthermore, by arranging thewire outwardly beyond the interior corner 26, more or less heavyarticles Put within the bag, cannot slide or push forcibly and directlyagainst the wire and pinch it, protected as it is by the stitching 23and the intervening parts, while the wire serves to relieve the bagwalls of much of the stresses and strains to which the bag is subjectedin ordinary use but does not become kinked or permanently distorted andconsequently retains its initial shape and function for the life of thebag. I

It will be understood that the stitching 24 tends to squeeze together orcompress the outstanding portions 16, ll as well as the binding stripinwardly of the wire thereby to form a more or less rounded orcylindrical and consequently ornamental bead at the outermost part ofthe flange, the bead being in outward spaced relation to the actualinterior comer of the bag. The yieldable flange 25 serves as aprotecting lender or guard yielding under outside forces about thestitching 23 as a-hinge point thereby to avoid damage to the flange andto the adjacent parts of the ba while retaining its functions ofstiffening, reinforcing and shaping the bag.

As has been indicated, the wire 22 terminates at a point 29 above thebottom of the bag, but the remainder of the flange continues downwardlybelow the'wire and is flexible but not resilient at its lower part. "Asis best seen inFigs. '7 and8, the unstifiened lower part 33 of thefinished flange is folded flat against the under face of the bottom i Iand secured thereto as by the stitching 34. The joint at the lowermostparts 35 and 36 respec tively of the walls l2 and I3 with'the bottom II,and the flange at the bag corners will now be described. Said wallsextend past the bottom II in their unsecured state (Fig. 6) and theextending parts 38. 35 thereof are mitered as at II. 30. The peripheralportions 31, 38 of the parts 35, 33 are brought together in face to facerelation to form continuations or the peripheral portions 16 and I! atthe same time that the extending parts 35. 38 are bent at the bend line32 shown in dash dot lines in Fig. 6. The mitered edge parts 31. 33 intheir face to face positions are inserted into and between the sideflaps of the folded binding strip l8 and the whole secured together bythe continuation of the stitching 23, 24, whereby the lower parts of thewalls are retained in their bent positions ready to'be secured to thebottom Ii. Said bottom is then inserted in place and the lower marginalparts 31, 38 together with the binding strip forming the lowermost partof the flange, are turned through an angle of about against the bottomand secured in place by the stitching 34 as hereinbefore mentioned. theremainders of the extending wall parts 35, 33 also being stitched to thebottom as by the stitching 39 near the edges thereof thereby completingthe bottom part of the bag.

In that form of the invention shown in Fig. 2, instead of inserting thewire 22 between the peripheral portions I6, I! of the walls, said wireis arranged directly inside of and in contact with the inner surface ofthe fold iii of the binding strip and outwardly beyond the extreme edgesof said portions I6, I! whereby a somewhat thinner bead 40 is obtainedon the flange 4|. While the inner edges of the binding strip are shownas raw edges, as is unobjectionable where the bindin strip is' ofleather or the like, it will be understood that said raw edges may beinturned as shown at 20, 2| of Fig, 3 if desired. The double line ofstitching 42 and 43 secure the parts of the flange together, thestitching 43 also urging the wire tightly against the fold ashereinbefore explained in connection with Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 4, the wire 22 is arranged between and held in place bythe lines of stitching 44 and 45. The stitching 45 is made inwardly ofthe fold 48 of the binding strip and passes through the peripheralportions l3, ll of the walls, between which portions the wire isarranged. Being quite close to the fold, the stitching 45, bycompressing the parts together forms a somewhat smaller bead 41 than themain bead 48 encompassing the wire. The inner edges of the binding stripmay be infolded or not as desired.

It will be understood thata single line of stitching may replace thedouble line illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. In Fig. 5, I have shown suchsingle line of stitching 50 in connection with the relatively narrowflange 5| resulting from the use of peripheral wall portions 52, 53 ofminimum width. If it is desired to make such portions wider, they may beextended up to the fold 54 of the binding strip in the mannerillustrated in Figs. ,3 and 4,

the wire in that case being interposed between such portions as is thereshown. Where a single line of stitching is employed, it serves thedouble purpose of forming the smooth and unobstructed interior corner ofthe bag and of forcing the wire toward the fold of the binding strip. Inall cases, by arranging the stiffening wire in an outstanding flexibleguard flange formed by a folded binding strip and the peripheralportions of the bag walls, the purposes of the invention are adequatelyattained and-a durable and'effective construction s provided capable ofrapid and economical manufacture with a minimum number of operations.

Various changes may be made in the specific out departing from thespirit of the invention defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a stiffened bag having flexible side and end walls, an outstandingflange on the bag at the corner junctions of said walls, said flangecomprising outstanding peripheral portions on the walls terminating inraw edges and arranged in face to face relation with the raw edgesoutside the planes of the walls, a binding strip for said portions, saidstrip being folded to provide an integral bend and a pair of flaps, eachflap being in face to face contact with one of said portions, the freeedge parts of the flaps being infolded against the adjacent walls,stitching passing through the flaps, through the infolded edge parts ofthe strip and through saidvportions and forming a smooth andsubstantially continuous corner on the inside of the bag at the innerinterior edge of the flange, a bowed resilient stiffening and shapingwire within the flange and between said peripheral portions, andadditional stitching adjacent the wire and passing through said portionsand said flaps.

2. In a bag having flexible side and end walls,

, peripheral portions at the corner junctions of said walls outstandingangularly to the surfaces of the walls and in face to face relation toeach other, a folded binding strip arranged with the fold thereofoutermost and having two parallel side flaps respectively in face toface relation to the peripheral portions, the inner edge parts of thestrip being infolded against the adjacent walls, a stiffening wirewithin the strip and stitching passing through the side flaps of thestrip and through the peripheral portions inward- 1y of the wire andthrough the infolded edge parts of the strip, said strip, peripheralportions and wire forming outstanding flexible flanges at the jointuresof the walls with the stitching exposed to view.

3. In a bag having flexible side and end walls, peripheral portions atthe corner junctions of the walls outstanding from the walls in face toface relation to each other, a folded binding strip arranged with thefold thereof outermost and having side flaps respectively in face toface relation to the outermost faces of the peripheral portions, theinner edge parts of the strip being infolded against the adjacent walls,a stiffening wire within the strip adjacent the fold and between theoutermost edge parts of the peripheral portions, and stitching passingthrough the side flaps of the strip and through the peripheral portionsinwardly of the wire and through the infolded edge parts of the strip,said strip, peripheral portions and wire forming outstanding flexibleflanges.

4. In a bag having flexible side and end walls, an outstanding flexibleguard flange at the corner junctions of the walls, said flangecomprising peripheral edge portions of the walls, a binding strip havinginfolded inner edges, said binding strip being folded around the edgeportions and with the fold thereof forming the outermost edge of theflange, a stiffening wire within the flange and between the outermostparts of the edge portions, and two parallel lines of visible stitchingpassing through the edge portions and the binding strip, one line ofstitching being arranged closely adjacent to and inwardly of the wireand the other line of stitching passing through the, in-

folded edges of the binding strip and through the edge portions to forma substantially sharp and smooth interior corner on the bag at theinnermost edge of the flange.

PETER BENENFELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

